Chaplaincy Work

The 8-strong Chaplaincy team at Oban High School is made up of youth workers and clergy representing various Christian denominations. Coordinated by Ewen Munro, each Chaplain is linked to either a specific year group or the OHS Learning Centre. Ongoing opportunities to support the school as well as training and team-building events are constantly sought after. Chaplains are regularly seen popping up at school discos, Christmas Jingles and primary to secondary transition events. Sadly, but crucially in the past year, the team have been able to support staff and pupils after the sudden and tragic death of a well-loved member of staff.

Ongoing areas of chaplaincy work include the following:-

Chaplaincy Assembly Weeks which occur once or twice per term, with one or two chaplains bringing a themed message to each year group throughout that particular week. Themes over the year have included:

“Together”, working as team, acknowledging that we all have different gifts and talents which, when used to complement each other, will always work for the positive in life situations. (based around Romans 12 and Ecclesiastes 4)
“Stop the Traffik”, acknowledging that human trafficking of today far outweighs slavery from the times of William Wilberforce. Pupils were invited to take positive action through petitioning and fundraising.
“Turn on the Tap”, an appreciation of the water we sometimes take for granted and choosing to support aid work in Africa to provide fresh water for villages in Mozambique, using the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate how we can choose to help or to ignore the plight of others.
“St Andrew”, Patron Saint of Scotland, a comedy quiz-based assembly to give pupils a deeper insight into their patron saint and his Christian roots and subsequent impact on the world.
RO Conferences, for years S1, S3 and S6. Up to ten workshop hosts are invited to each of these events, where pupils can explore aspects of faith and belief around the theme of the conference. Guests are invited locally and from further afield to host around 10 pupils for 40 minutes of interactive and participative workshops as well as spending time as a full conference exploring times of worship and reviewing learning and discovery from the day. The chaplaincy role is occasionally to host and regularly facilitate the smooth running of these popular events. S1 pupils are encouraged to explore how to “Take Care” of themselves, their community and their world. S3 spend time digging into the positive consequences of “Conflict Resolution” and S6 wrestle with the question, “ru faith +ve or faith –ve?”.

"The success of our conferences is totally dependent upon the support of Oban's church organisations ..... and I very much look forward to working with H₂O in further developing our RO conferences."
David Fyfe, P.T. RME and PSED, Oban High School.

Christian Celebration Services

Celebration services are developed by the chaplaincy team in conjunction with pupils and staff from Oban High School. These key festivals of the Christian faith are celebrated using creative, relevant and honest approaches to the sharing of the Christian message.

Easter '07 - "Reclaim Easter from the Bunny"

Through the use of story, interaction with pupils, video, drama and music, the chaplaincy team presented the Easter story in a straightforward contemporary way, focussing on the Christian message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Two services took place for juniors and seniors and both were a tremendous success. The Easter message is not an easy one to put across but it was done with sensitivity along with clarity and appropriateness."
Linda Kirkwood, former Rector Oban High School.

Christmas '07 - 'Why do you celebrate Christmas'

Never presuming that the story is known by all, the chaplains set about sharing the reason for the season in a fun and participative manner, culminating in the Christmas blockbuster, 'Beat the Chaplain' Christmas quiz. Pupils and staff alike experienced this multi-media experience, before heading off to celebrate the Christmas season.

"It speaks volumes that the school would request a strong chaplaincy presence as a result of its experience with H₂O, and that local authority and other agencies would co-operate in so many of its activities."
Rev. Archie MacPhail, APC Minister and S1 Chaplain.